No More Hiding
by kjaliasaddict
Summary: My first fanfic! Generally a mild fic, but chapter 7 may be a bit much for some. (I really don't think so, but it's just in case!) This picks up where ATY left off and yes, there is S/V romance...
1. reVelation

Disclaimer: 'Alias' and its characters are the property of ABC, Touchstone, J.J. Abrams etc. I'm writing this story for entertainment purpose only. No copyright infringement is intended.  
  
Sydney stared at her mother in utter shock and amazement. She had figured out that her mother was still alive, but . . . her mom was "The Man"? She couldn't believe that she had actually called this woman - the woman who was now responsible for another death in Sydney's life - mom. Mothers do not do that. This incarnation of evil had to be completely devoid of all feelings. Mom was not the appropriate term.  
  
"You . . . how could . . .," Sydney stuttered, choking back tears. "He was my friend! My partner! My . . ." Sydney was now shrieking at Irina.  
  
"Lover?" Irina interjected.  
  
The look on Sydney's face immediately changed from profound anger to shocked dismay.  
  
"No. I would not put him in that kind of danger," Sydney replied flatly, coldly.  
  
"So now you are realizing your feelings for this man, no?"  
  
Her thick Russian accent made Sydney's stomach turn, but the truth in her words hurt more.  
  
"I don't want to talk to you anymore," Sydney replied. Her father was right - nothing Irina could say would make it all better.  
  
"It does not matter darling," Irina replied coolly. "I have my answer."  
  
Irina turned on her heel and left the room. Just as the door was about to shut, Sydney heard her mother shout to a guard down the corridor in Russian;  
  
"Change his clothes and put him . . ."  
  
The door shut with a resounding bang. 


	2. extrAction

Jack sat impatiently in the driver's seat of the van. Will sat next to him, dazed from all that had happened.  
  
"So, where's Sy…" began Will.  
  
"Not now Mr. Tippin."  
  
Will sank lower into his seat.  
  
Jack knew Sydney and Vaughn should have met them here at the rendezvous point by now. 'Time for plan B,' thought Jack.  
  
"Mr. Tippin," Jack said coarsely.  
  
Will was startled out of his daze.  
  
"I am going in to extract Sydney and her partner. I know you are Sydney's friend, but if you move from this vehicle, I will make sure that you cannot move for a long time. Understood?"  
  
"Yes sir," mumbled Will.  
  
Jack quickly exited the vehicle and jogged, gun drawn, into the shadows.  
  
Sydney knew that she had mentally translated Irina's orders correctly, but still she doubted herself. She had been talking about a man who needed new clothing. OK, could it be Will? No, Sark and her father should have made the exchange hours ago. Her father? Why would he need new clothes? Oh… No. She couldn't let herself believe, hope. Well, he had been a field agent before, he is pretty resourceful… could Irina have been talking about Va. . . 'No. No way. Don't even set yourself up for that fall,' Sydney told herself. That would be too much to hope for…  
  
Jack heard two guards joking with each other from around the corner as he snuck through the maze of underground passages. He could faintly hear the club music pulsing in the background as he tried to guess which way Sydney and Vaughn went (or were taken.) His Russian was rusty, but he knew that the guards were merely exchanging dirty jokes, nothing useful. Jack heard the guards round the corridor's far corner and he crept on down the hall.  
  
His green eyes opened to see a small room with assorted crates stacked haphazardly. A single bulb lit the room, leaving large, shadowy corners. As he inhaled consciously for the first time in hours, he was thrown into a coughing fit. 'It'll be a while before I go swimming again,' he thought to himself. As his brain became more alert, he realized that he was tied to a chair, soaking wet and miserably cold. So much for this mission going smoothly. The door was then unlatched and a man with a stack of clothing entered the hole of a room.  
  
"You change, we guard you," the guard ordered in broken English as he tossed the pile of clothes on Vaughn's lap. Another guard then entered the room and pointed his automatic rifle at Vaughn, just to let him know that there would be no hesitation if he tried anything funny. The first guard then went behind the chair and began to untie Vaughn. Vaughn wondered why "The Man" cared if he were comfortable, or why he even had him saved from drowning, but he began to undress anyhow.  
  
Jack peered around a corner in time to see two guards enter a room. One was holding a pile of clothes, the other a rifle. 'Strange," he thought. Then he heard one of the guards order someone to change. 'How odd. Since when does Khasinau care about a prisioner's well-being and comfort?' This seemed too easy - only one armed man? 'Well, it's now or never,' Jack thought as he quietly approached the open door…  
  
A/N: Well, I hope you are enjoying it so far. I just had to write one of my own after reading all the great ones that are posted every day! Please review, good and bad comments are both welcome. Criticism can only make it better! [A little praise doesn't hurt either though! ;-) ] And yes, if you were wondering, there is a reason that 1 letter in each chapter title is capitalized; by the end of my story, they will spell out a very obvious observation! 


	3. Undetected

A/N: Ok, I hope this is better, I mean, I know these are all kind of short, but I'm new at this so I'm still experimenting! Please keep reading and reviewing, your feedback really does mean a lot to me! By the way, thanks to mudpie7386 for letting me know that the pov changes were confusing. I've added scene/pov separators to help! Let me know what you think! Thanks!  
  
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'Am I stupid?' Sydney thought. 'If I had any sense, maybe I could have thought of an escape plan by now….' Then she heard a door being unlatched and opened in the proximity. She heard a muffled voice, but couldn't make out the words. Could they have another prisoner? What if it was her dad? How were they going to get out if it was? No one knew they were here…. Just then she heard what sounded like, to her trained ear, two silenced gunshots from down the hall.  
  
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Jack cautiously glanced through the open doorway to see agent Vaughn finishing changing out of soaking wet clothes. 'How nice,' Jack thought, 'Khasinau doesn't want his valuable hostage getting pneumonia.' Jack wasted no more time; he quickly and quietly entered the room and shot the armed man and the other guard before they even knew he was in the room. Vaughn was visibly shaken by Jack's surprise entrance, but all he said was "Where's Sydney?"  
  
"I don't know," Jack replied. "I was looking for both of you. Do you know if she was . . ."  
  
"Yes, a guard knocked her down, but I don't know if she got away."  
  
"She didn't. She would have met Will and me at the rendezvous point."  
  
Without another word, Jack tossed Vaughn his spare gun and the two took off down the hall. They checked all but one of the rooms and found nothing. Both of the men visibly tensed as they approached the last door on the right of the hall.  
  
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Sydney heard footsteps and dreaded having to see her mother again. But something was different. Her intuition told her that her mother was not on the other side of that door. "Daddy?" Sydney quietly called. The door was then swung open to reveal an angel.  
  
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'She is beautiful even when she is tied to a chair bleeding,' thought Vaughn. Sydney looked at Vaughn like he wasn't real, like she was so delirious she had begun to hallucinate. Vaughn was immediately behind her, working on the handcuffs. Sydney could see her father's shadow in the hallway, keeping watch. Vaughn got the handcuffs off quickly and opened his mouth to tell Sydney so, since she hadn't moved, when she whirled around in the chair to face him. Her face was no more than six inches from his, and his heart was in his throat. 'God, even with blue hair and a bloody lip she is incredibly sexy,' Vaughn thought.  
  
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This was a dead man. He was behind that door when it closed, and the water that was on him, he had no way out, he . … is so sexy in military fatigues. Sydney felt the handcuffs being released and her handler's intake of breath on her neck, he was about to say something. 'What the hell, I told myself before that I would do this eventually, but now seems so much more appropriate than ever before,' Sydney thought. Sydney whirled around in her chair and looked into eyes of desire, pain, hunger, love. Before her brain could stop her, she kissed him passionately.  
  
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'Oh my God, we shouldn't be doing this, she is delirious, doesn't know what she's doing, oh God, yes she does…' Vaughn pondered all this while deepening their kiss. 'Sydney kissed – is kissing – me. Oh God, this feels so right, so….'  
  
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Jack stood guard in the hallway with a look of slight panic on his face. Vaughn was taking too long to untie Sydney. He decided that he would have to go help him. "What is the prob…" Jack was stopped short when he saw his daughter and Vaughn with their arms wrapped around one another, kissing fervently. Both looked up at him when he entered, Sydney with a look of determination, Vaughn with an even stronger will shining in his eyes. "We don't have time for this. Let's go NOW," Jack growled. Sydney and Vaughn ran down the corridor after Jack. There were no guards to mar their exit, and the trio made it back to the van, complete with Will inside. Jack jumped into the driver's seat while Vaughn opened the side sliding door for Sydney and then jumped in himself. They sped off towards the small airstrip nearby to make their flight to the States.  
  
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"What the hell was that about back there?!" fumed Jack. He was furious, couldn't believe that Vaughn would be that reckless with Sydney and that Sydney didn't care about the risks involved in getting emotionally attached to the man who made your life and death decisions.  
  
"That was none of your business," Sydney said coolly.  
  
"The hell it wasn't! You two are playing kissy face while we could have all been killed!"  
  
Will looked back at Sydney, who was now in this strange man's arms. He said nothing.  
  
"That's bull Jack!" Vaughn suddenly spouted. Sydney looked at him in admiration. He wasn't just going to give into her dad. That kiss really did mean something to him too.  
  
Vaughn was livid. For Jack to imply that he was simply taking advantage of Sydney back there was bs. He was finally able to let Sydney know how he felt, even if she did initiate it, and Jack wasn't going to trivialize it.  
  
"Oh yeah?" replied Jack. "Give me one good reason that I shouldn't report this to Devlin."  
  
Sydney was shocked. "You… why… NO! You get Vaughn taken off as my handler and that's it. No more nice Sydney Bristow. In fact, I may as well turn you in to Sloane while you are busy with Devlin." Sydney really hated to threaten her father like that but he was pushing too hard. He had no idea what there was between her and Vaughn.  
  
Jack didn't say another word on the ride to the airstrip. 


	4. feelinGs

A/N: Thanks for all the reviews, even the partly bad one shell, all criticism helps me immensely! I'm glad you guys like where the story is going, and I will tell you right now that there will be (at least) 11 chapters, but we'll see beyond that. By the way, if you can't figure out what the capital letters in the chapter titles spell, don't worry; it is NOT important to the story, the statement is just a VERY obvious observation. :-) Enjoy, and I hope to post very frequently, in case you were wondering!  
  
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Will sat in the front, already more confused than he ever thought he could have been, but unwilling to voice his thoughts . . . 'The rest of the short ride to the airport was horrible. I mean, all three of these people are probably armed and they are obviously pissed. I mean, I'm pissed too, but I don't have a gun. That's probably a good thing, because if I did, I would have a hard time not shooting that guy back there who is holding Syd. I mean, how long could she have known him? Two seconds? I've known Syd for years, he …. Who am I kidding? I can't even talk right because my mouth is so swollen and he's Mr. Suave Military Man. Geez, I need a life…'  
  
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Sydney was too angry to ask Will how he was fairing; he is obviously alive, that's good enough for now.  
  
'So, how are we supposed to, I mean, what are we going to, ARGH!' Sydney couldn't even think straight. All that she wanted to say to Vaughn right now, and all she could think of was incomplete ramblings. His arms are still around her and she didn't dare to move them, who knew when this would happen again? Maybe not until SD-6 is REALLY the section that doesn't exist. For now, she just settled into Vaughn's arms, leaning against his surprisingly hard chest – 'He must work out' she thought – and waited for the airport, knowing it was just too close…  
  
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Vaughn had never been so angry with Jack Bristow. Jack told him that he respected him. Where had that gone? If you respect someone, doesn't that mean you trust them as well, at least to a certain extent? Jack obviously did not trust him or his judgment, or he wouldn't have reacted like that. Sydney and I have never kissed before, not even a peck on the lips, because is it so dangerous and, yes, against protocol. But everything about this mission is against protocol, and as always, dangerous. If he had been following protocol, he wouldn't even have been on that transport plane for Jack to tell him that he respected him. How's that for hypocritical? Vaughn wanted to tell Sydney everything; how he looks prematurely aged, especially the worry lines on his face that Eric teases him about, because he worries about her whether she's on a mission or not. He knows what a living hell her life can be, and often is. He wants to take all that pain away, replace it with love and caring, but he knows that the only way that can happen is taking SD-6 down. So for now, their now apparently mutual feelings for each other would have to be shoved to the back burner….  
  
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"We're here," Jack said flatly as he stopped the van on the airport's tarmac. He was in no mood to deal with two love struck agents, especially these two. They were the two most stubborn people that he had ever met, hell if they weren't, neither of them would still know each other. Sydney had fought for Vaughn to be her handler, and Vaughn had rescued Sydney from situations, against protocol, numerous times. OK, maybe I overreacted, maybe they can suck it up at mission time and not… who am I kidding? They couldn't even wait to get out of the warehouse! This could be dealt with on the plane….  
  
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Jack's words startled Vaughn out of deep thought. Sydney too seemed reluctant to get out of the van, but both quickly exited when Jack screeched it to a stop. Vaughn opened the passenger door and helped Will out of his seat. Will was barely able to stand, much less walk, so Vaughn had to hoist him onto his shoulder to carry him to the plane. He was heavier than Vaughn had thought him to be, but they had to get to the plane quickly.  
  
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'I can't believe this guy has to carry me to the plane… This is humiliating. I wish I could be in his shoes right now……….' Will thought as he lost consciousness.  
  
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Once the plane was in the air, the gloves were off.  
  
"How dare you threaten to turn me into Sloane! What makes you think that he would even believe you?" Jack was almost stuttering he was so angry.  
  
"He is suspicious of you after the whole Noah incident," Sydney replied.  
  
"He has had you investigated you more than me Sydney! Think about it for a minute! Why wouldn't he think you were in on it with me?"  
  
"Because I can cry and make him think my cold-hearted daddy threatened to kill me if I told!" Sydney was almost laughing. She couldn't imagine actually turning her father in to Sloane.  
  
Jack stopped short of yelling back when he saw the near laugh. Sydney was scared and confused more than anything, he cold see it in her eyes. "Sydney, I am only afraid that a relationship between you and Vaughn would be the beginning of the end. I think, I know rather, it would be too dangerous."  
  
"We know that, " Vaughn suddenly replied.  
  
Sydney spun to look at him with shock and a new pain in her eyes. "I thought that you…..felt…." Sydney was about to break down and cry.  
  
"No, no Sydney! I do! But we can't…" Vaughn looked up at Jack, and Jack took the hint that this had quickly become a private conversation, moving to the front of the cargo hold.  
  
"Sydney, I do love you and I would do anything to be with you. That is exactly why I know we have to wait to make this work between us! I want to be a normal couple and go on dates, watch movies, eat dinner, and make lo……" Vaughn caught himself at that admission. 'Too much too soon there Mike,' he told himself. "But we would be risking our chance at that normality if we pursed this – us - now."  
  
Sydney was looking down at the floor of the cargo hold. Suddenly she felt the need to sit and think all this over. She knew that every word that Vaughn was saying was true, but who knew when SD-6 would be taken down? That kiss was filled with more passion than she had felt in a single moment, ever. Even with Danny. Now, she had to wait, again, for that passion. "I know," Sydney said softly after she had situated herself on the floor of the plane. "I will wait for you, I want you to know that. But can you w….."  
  
"Yes," Vaughn replied to Sydney's unfinished question as he crouched down and looked into her huge brown eyes. "I will wait forever."  
  
"Um, I need to be alone, you know, to think….," Sydney started.  
  
"OK, one of us needs to talk to your father anyway."  
  
"Thanks for understanding Vaughn."  
  
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Vaughn walked up to where Jack was seated on a crate. When Jack looked up at him, Vaughn didn't see anger in his eyes, just understanding of the pain and longing that was to come between Vaughn and Sydney….. 


	5. Home

A/N: Sorry this didn't get posted earlier, but I had to work all weekend. ( By the way, I don't know where the inspiration for this chapter came from, but if you were hoping for a love triangle, I'm sorry. I just couldn't write it; I became nauseated every time I tried. So, here's my alternative… (  
  
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Jack looked up at Vaughn as Vaughn approached him slowly. 'Vaughn looks like his heart has just been ripped out,' Jack thought. 'I knew his feelings for Sydney were, well, more than they should be at times, but I had no idea that he loves her. Vaughn doesn't have a 'crush' on her and is not going to hurt her like Noah; he truly loves her. And she obviously returns those feelings wholeheartedly.' Jack was mulling these new revelations over in his mind when Vaughn spoke.  
  
"Can we talk?"  
  
"Of course," Jack replied as he motioned to the crate across from him.  
  
Vaughn sat with a groan, his bruises and cuts were finally registering with his pain sensors.  
  
"So did you see if Khasinau was actually there?" Vaughn inquired.  
  
"No," Jack answered. "Did you?"  
  
"No, but I was unconscious for quite a while I think."  
  
"I'm assuming you and Sydney completed the mission?"  
  
"Yes," Vaughn replied. "But the 'circumference' was bigger than Sydney though it was. Apparently, the one she had seen before was just a mock up. The water flooded the hallways and I guess Khasinau's guards rescued me after I got trapped in the hall." Vaughn neglected to tell Jack that he had been trapped in that hallway because he was going after Sydney, and instead moved onto the real reason he came to talk to him. "Look, Jack, I just wanted to let you know that, well, Sydney and I have agreed to, um, not peruse a relationship at this time." Vaughn's voice was cracking and nearly overflowing with emotion as he told Jack this while staring a hole into the floor.  
  
"Agent Vau – Michael – I know you and Sydney love each other. I am not trying to pull you two apart, I'm just trying to keep you two alive. You two work excellently together and for her to have to have another handler because you got reassigned or kil--…, well, I think that it would just be too much for her. She shouldn't have to go through losing another close, um, friend. That is the only reason I agreed to help her retrieve Will – she doesn't deserve anymore pain."  
  
Vaughn was shocked to realize that Jack knew how much his daughter was hurting inside. Vaughn knew because Sydney confided in him, but Jack knew because he observed, because he cared.  
  
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Sydney sat in the rear of the cargo hold, knees pulled to her chest, head to her knees, thinking. 'Why did I become a spy? I never should have taken that business card, much less called the number on it! Then I could be with Michael and … wait. I wouldn't even know Michael. God, I don't know what I would do if I could do it all over. Sure it's great knowing that you're doing something to help your country, but I could give that up in a heartbeat. But Michael…' Michael was like a drug and she was definitely addicted. She glanced around her and saw Will, leaning against a crate, sleeping soundly. She glanced up to the front of the cargo hold and saw Vaughn and her father speaking quietly. 'God, this is going to be hell, trying to NOT have a relationship with Vaughn after that kiss… But, they had come through other obstacles – I mean, Irina killing his fath- OH GOD! Did Vaughn and her father know about Irina?!? Probably not….' Sydney jumped up so fast she was instantly dizzy.  
  
Vaughn heard Sydney jump up and run up to where he and Jack were sitting.  
  
"Sydney, what's wrong?" asked Vaughn, concerned.  
  
"The Man," Sydney began.  
  
"Yes, what about Khasinau?" asked Jack.  
  
"No, dad, I'm sorry,….the Man is mom." Sydney looked at her feet as she finished, not wanting to see the pain and hurt in her father's face.  
  
Jack was speechless. He had never considered the possibility that Laura, er, Irina, was…  
  
"How did you find this…." Jack questioned.  
  
Just then the pilot came over the speaker. "We will be landing in Los Angeles in two minutes. Please secure yourselves."  
  
"I'll tell you everything after we land dad."  
  
As the plane found the runway and slowly came to a halt, Jack knew that no matter what Sydney was about to tell him, there was no way he could prepare himself.  
  
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On the ride back to her place, Sydney told her father and Vaughn everything. Will was in the backseat with Vaughn, but he seemed dazed and uninterested. She told them about how Khasinau tried to feed her and that it was he who revealed he was not the Man, Irina was. She recounted how Irina came in, made accusations that she loved Vaughn, to which she did not reply, and left. Both men looked stunned, but only her father looked hurt. Vaughn looked more tired than anything else. The only reaction that bothered Sydney was Will's. It was very odd for this reporter not to want details on everything that went on everywhere. Jack then pulled the car up to a dark corner about 8 blocks from Vaughn's apartment.  
  
"Bye," Sydney said quietly as she turned to face him from the passenger seat. It was all she could manage without crying.  
  
"I'll be in touch," Vaughn replied.  
  
Vaughn stepped out of the car and immediately hailed a cab that could drive him around for a while before taking him home, in case they had any tails.  
  
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Jack dropped Sydney and Will off at Will's apartment, no one wanting to have to explain Will's condition to Francie.  
  
"Clean him up and if he needs further medical treatment, which I doubt he does, let me know, " Jack told Sydney matter-of-factly.  
  
"Ok. Thank you dad."  
  
"Good night Sydney, Mr. Tippin."  
  
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Inside Sydney's home, Will was in no mood to let Sydney clean him up without some explanations. He had a million questions, beginning with finding out who that Vaughn guy was exactly and what he meant to her.  
  
"Sydney," Will quietly said as she was beginning to clean the blood off his face.  
  
"Hmm?" Sydney replied.  
  
"Are you and that Vaughn guy, um, involved?"  
  
Sydney smiled softly and looked at the bruises on Will's face. She could not bring her self to look into his eyes. "That's a complicated question. At the moment, no. But, …."  
  
"What? Does that mean you two were involved and that hugging in the van and the kiss before that was just a flashback kind of thing?" Will was beginning to get agitated.  
  
"No Will. Vaughn and I have never been involved. In fact, not that it is any of your business, but that was the first time that we have ever kissed. Now, like I was saying, Vaughn and I can't be involved right now. It would be too complicated and dangerous with our jobs. One day, after we take SD-6 down, we'll have freedom of choice again." It felt good to be able to tell the truth to Will for once, even if it was awkward.  
  
"Look Syd, I didn't mean to act like and ass. I just want you to be happy. If you and this Vaughn can be happy, then…"  
  
"Thanks Will. That means a lot to me." Sydney kissed Will on his forehead in appreciation of not pushing the envelope on her and Vaughn's relationship.  
  
"Could you be happy with me?" Will asked.  
  
"What? You mean…..what? Like a relationship? Between us? Uh, Will, you're my friend…..I don't really…." Sydney was completely shocked that Will was being so forward.  
  
"Think of me like you do Vaughn?"  
  
"Well, I mean, not exactly the same as him, I do like you though, I mean, um, you're one of my closest friends, and I um,… look. I don't want to lie to you. I have had feelings for you at one time, but…"  
  
"Then why not now? We could be together now Syd. Syd, I love you," Will began to stand up, and was now walking towards Syd, who was slowly backing away.  
  
"Will, I… I love Michael. I couldn't be with anyone else right now." Sydney was getting slightly angered now; Will was not normally this aggressive.  
  
"Tell me you love me Sydney," Will grabbed Sydney's shoulders. "Look me in my eyes and tell me you love me!" Will was screaming at Sydney now.  
  
"If you don't back off, I will hurt you Will," Sydney growled in a low tone.  
  
"Oh, well isn't that fitting? You stomp all over me and I am just supposed to take it! Sydney, you have hurt me plenty already, I don't need your excuses Sydney, I want to know that you love me!"  
  
Will had gone too far, she really didn't want to hurt him more than he already was, but he was getting irate. Sydney suddenly kneed Will in the groin and he let go of her shoulders. He doubled over in pain and hit the floor hard.  
  
"I'm sorry…" Sydney said softly as she ran out of Will's apartment. 


	6. coNsequences

It began to rain on Sydney as she headed out of Will's apartment complex. She was crying and now the rain was hiding those tears. Everything in her life had to be hidden, including herself. She couldn't even love who she wanted to, much less be with them. As the rain intensified, Sydney knew she had to go somewhere for the night, but where? Jack lives across town, Francie would ask too many questions, Will has turned into a possessive idiot, and Michael, well, she just didn't trust herself to stay at his place overnight, not to mention how dangerous it would be. 'If I was a normal person,' Sydney thought, 'I could carry a wallet and have a credit card for a hotel room….but if I was a normal person, I would be at home asleep at 3 in the morning instead of standing on the sidewalk getting soaked.' She then decided that there was only one place she could go and be safe for the night…  
  
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Vaughn arrived at work the next morning with a lovely shiner on his cheek from his face begin smashed against the door's glass by the water wall. Vaughn collapsed into his chair in his office as Eric appeared in the doorway. 'Great, he is the last rat I want to see right now…maybe except for Haladki…'  
  
"Can I help you Eric?"  
  
"What the hell happened to your face man?"  
  
"I'm sorry, I don't really want to talk about that with you," Vaughn was getting angry just looking at Eric.  
  
"Oh really? Why's that? Did Sydney get mad at you and give you a little one-two?"  
  
"No, Agent Bristow did not do this to me. I have some work to do so if you don't have any business to discuss, I'd appreciate it if you'd leave." Vaughn knew that Eric was trying to apologize in his own weird way for turning into a backstabbing company man, but he was in no mood for his bs now.  
  
"Look man, I just want you to know that I only told Devlin about your hunch because I knew you might have been overlooking something. Not to mention that I knew you wouldn't ever forgive yourself if something happened to her."  
  
"Yeah, well, I appreciate your concern, but, like you said, trust is a tricky thing. I will keep in mind what your concern did for me and my file the next time I decided to tell you anything. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a meeting with Agent Bristow and I have to go." Vaughn grabbed his sport coat and walked quickly past Eric and out of his office.  
  
^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*  
  
"I assure you that Sydney will be back from the university as soon as she can," Jack told Arvin Sloane.  
  
"Good. As soon as she gets back, I need to send her to retrieve some newfound intel in West Samoa."  
  
"Why does Sydney need to go? Can't Dixon or another agent…"  
  
"No," replied Sloane, "I think Sydney is the better choice for this operation."  
  
Jack looked at Sloane, trying to get inside that twisted mind, but instead, got up and left Sloane's office. Sloane did not seem to suspect anything about their whereabouts the previous night, but his poker face was hard to see through.  
  
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Vaughn had no planned meeting with Sydney. In fact, he wasn't even driving in the direction of the warehouse; he was just driving, trying to get her out of his head. He already knew this wasn't going to be easy, trying to separate his feelings for Sydney from their jobs, hell; he had a tough time before they kissed. But now… Now all he knew was that he had to see her again before he went insane.  
  
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Sydney's eyes opened to the light of a fluorescent bulb, softly humming above her. She sat up on the crate she had slept on, stretching her limbs that had ached throughout the night. She spent the night here because she could think of no safer place than her and Vaughn's warehouse. After she had cried her eyes out, she laid down on the crate Vaughn usually sat on, when he did sit, and fell into and deep sleep. She dreamt of nothing, and when she awoke the next morning, she was glad she hadn't had nightmares about her second trip to Taipei. She looked around the warehouse; nothing seemed unusual, just as empty as ever. She wondered what time it was, and almost panicked about being late to work when she remembered that she was 'at the university.' Jack would remind Sloane of that, he always did. Just then she heard a car pull up outside and the door open and shut. She was instantly alert. Could it be Vaughn, no, they didn't have a meeting scheduled. Then who… why would someone come to kill her in the daylight, when they had all night? Maybe they just found her, just figured out what she had been up to. She silently slid off the crate and crouched behind it, waiting for the person (persons?) to enter.  
  
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OK, so calling Francie's number was a bit stupid, Sydney wasn't at home, she was at Will's; another thing he didn't like… surely she had her cell- phone on her, but it just kept ringing and ringing as Vaughn got out of his vehicle. 'OK, maybe it just didn't go through,' Vaughn thought to himself, trying not to panic as he entered the warehouse. He quickly hit send again, and his phone redialed Sydney's cell as he heard a voice quietly say, "Vaughn?" This confused him for a moment, it was Sydney's voice, but it was not on the phone. Just then he saw a figure appear from behind a crate – Sydney. She ran to him and jumped into him, hugging him tightly. She pulled back and they looked into each other's eyes…..  
  
A/N: I'm sorry, but I have to go to work! eg Really though, I do have to be there in 13 minutes, but don't worry, I won't leave you guys hanging for long! ;-) 


	7. instInct

A/N: OK---I'm going to tell you all right now that this chapter is most definitely R rated. So, you can skip it if that bothers you, but otherwise, enjoy!!!! This is only one scene between Sydney and Vaughn, so all you waiting for Will moaning on the floor will have to wait for the next chapter, lol!!  
  
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"Syd, what are you doing here? Why aren't you at Will's?" Vaughn smiled to himself, inwardly glad she was here in his arms and not at Will's.  
  
"He, Will, he, well, I had to hurt him because he was being all possessive and weird and he grabbed me and wanted me to say that I love him like I love you and I…I ran out of his place and came here and…" Sydney was rambling and on the verge of bawling.  
  
"Did he hurt you?" Vaughn interrupted Sydney with a growing anger present in his voice.  
  
"No! He was just hurt and confused and…I don't know. I came here because I didn't know where else to go. I knew it was safe here and I…"  
  
"You know you could have come to me Syd…" Vaughn trailed off, with a slight pang of hurt in his voice.  
  
"I wanted to but…I don't trust myself with you," Syd replied truthfully. She loved not having to lie to this man.  
  
Vaughn was slightly shocked by her answer. He had always been worried that he was going to say or do something that was going to cross the line, but it never occurred to him that Sydney had to fight those same urges.  
  
"Syd, you can trust me to not…."  
  
"Michael," Sydney felt his body stiffen at the sound of his first name. "I know that. I just can't trust myself…"  
  
"Well," Vaughn said, inching closer to Sydney's face, "I do sleep naked most of the time." Vaughn couldn't believe those words had actually come out of his mouth. It had been meant as a joke, but it didn't exactly help the present situation. 'So much for keeping it clean until SD-6 is gone,' Vaughn thought.  
  
Suddenly Sydney pulled away. She abruptly turned around and put her hand over her eyes. A thousand thoughts flooded her mind at once. 'I can't do this. This would just make it worse. Why does my body never ever agree with my brain?! His voice, telling her he sleeps naked, oh God, he couldn't even sleep in some silk boxers or STOP! Can't let myself get more emotionally attached to him now…geez, I sound like that CIA shrink Barnett. Why can't we get attached? Well other than the whole 'life or death' on missions thing, no reason! This would be SO much easier if he wasn't the best-looking Frenchman (or American for that matter) she had ever been kissed by. Kiss…. damn…..he could kiss too. What would it hurt to just..' Sydney's thoughts were interrupted by Vaughn coming up behind her and wrapping his arms around her.  
  
"Syd," Vaughn breathed into her ear, making every nerve in her body quiver and her legs nearly turn to jello.  
  
Sydney turned her head to look at him out of the corner of her eye. His face was pale and suddenly she could feel where all his blood had gone to. It was too much for her. She twisted around in his arms and kissed him with all the passion she had in her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and pressed her body into his long, lean one.  
  
Vaughn was too surprised to do anything but return her kiss and her embrace with equaled fervor. He knew she could feel that he was excited, but he wanted her to know that, to know that no matter what they had intended, no matter what they had told Jack Bristow, he still wanted her NOW. He pulled her closer to him and ran his large hands down her back to her butt and picked her up. She instinctively wrapped her legs around his waist and squeezed. He moaned deeply against her mouth and she grinned.  
  
"I'm sorry, did I hurt you?" Sydney asked mockingly.  
  
"No, you want to try again?" Vaughn replied heavily.  
  
Sydney answered him with a deep kiss. Suddenly, he put her down onto a nearby crate.  
  
"What's wrong Michael?"  
  
'God,' he thought, 'if she uses my first name again…'  
  
"Um, nothings wrong, I just don't want our first, well I mean this warehouse is not exactly, Syd….I want to be able to take you into my bedroom and lay you down on my bed, and…"  
  
"This isn't special enough here," Sydney replied. "You're right."  
  
"I just want to do this right with you, I mean, as right as can be done, considering the circumstances," Vaughn replied, not believing that he was actually delaying being with Sydney.  
  
"Well, I don't have to work today, how about you?" Sydney replied with a Cheshire grin on her face.  
  
"Today? Um, well, I just assumed that you would want to wait until SD-6…"  
  
"You going to argue or are you going to go to your apartment and get things ready for my visit?"  
  
"Syd, look, this is too dangerous. I want you to come over as much as I've ever wanted anything, but we can't risk out lives for it!"  
  
"Let me handle getting over there undetected, and you can handle me later." Sydney felt pleased with her coy reply and got up off the crate and brushed past a very stunned handler on her way out of the warehouse.  
  
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I really did not expect the story to go in this direction, but…. anywho. Just let me know if you guys like it! And yes, Will, Jack and others will be back in the next chapter! This story is going to have a point!! LOL! 


	8. realizationS

Before I begin this chapter, I want to give props to the 'zesty-luvin-bee'! You got a line in my fic and I didn't even plan it!! LOL!! This is half of chapter 8, I'll post the other half later tonight….  
  
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Will was still lying on the floor of his apartment long after Sydney had left. He couldn't believe that he had actually said and done those things. He loved Sydney as a friend and he wanted more, but he couldn't deal with the fact that she just didn't share those feelings with him. Oh shi*. I forget to call about my story! Will stumbled over to the phone, still holding himself. If they run that…  
  
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Jack picked up his morning paper at the corner newsstand and couldn't believe what he saw. It may have well have been the single worst thing that could have happened. He jumped in his car and raced over to Will's apartment. Will was now as good as dead if he didn't get him to a safe house and Sydney was over there with him. His foot pressed harder on the accelerator.  
  
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"Syd," Vaughn called after her in a hoarse tone.  
  
"I'll see you within an hour," Sydney called back, loving the increasing anticipation of what was to come. Finally having Vaughn was enough in itself, but having Vaughn when it was against what they were 'supposed' to do added an element of zestiness to it. When she hit the warehouse door and stepped out into the daylight, she knew it would be an excellent Saturday.  
  
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Vaughn watched her jog off towards her apartment from the door of the warehouse. He couldn't believe that he was about to actually have Sydney. It was completely wrong and would probably do more harm than good, but both of them were, as Eric had so gracefully put it, "about a mile past that line." Vaughn walked to his sedan with a skip in his step knowing what would be in store for him today.  
  
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Will was on hold for his editor when he heard a knock at the door. Trying to walk was next to impossible, Sydney didn't screw around when she got pissed, so he partly crawled over to the door. He stood up to open it and found Jack on his doorstep.  
  
"We're leaving now," Jack told Will as he snatched the phone out of his hand and turned it off by throwing it across the room.  
  
"Hey! I paid $200 for that…"  
  
"Where's Sydney?"  
  
Will looked down, not really wanting to tell Jack that his daughter had kneed him and left after he, well nearly attacked her.  
  
"I asked you a question Mr. Tippin," Jack said with increasing agitation.  
  
"She's, um, not, here. She left last night. We kinda got into a fight…"  
  
"Where did she go?"  
  
"She didn't say, she just left."  
  
Without another word, Jack pulled Will out of his apartment and halfway drug him to his waiting car while dialing his cell phone.  
  
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"This is Vaughn," Vaughn said over the road-noise in his car.  
  
"Do you know where Sydney is? She is not answering her cell phone,"  
  
Jack. Of course it was. Only that man could subconsciously know when to interrupt their day.  
  
"Well, um, I believe she is at her apartment," Vaughn said as casually as possible. "Is something wrong?"  
  
"Go get her and meet me and Mr. Tippin at Devlin's office in 30 minutes." *Click*  
  
'Okay,' Vaughn thought. 'It's pretty usual for Jack to just hang up, but his voice was hurried and nervous. It's never a good thing for Jack Bristow to be nervous Vaughn thought as he stepped on the gas.'  
  
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As Sydney stepped out of the shower and wrapped her oversize towel around her she was pondering whether to wear a black or red underwear set. Both had their advantages, but red was more befitting to the situation she thought. She was putting on the set when there was a knock at the door. She pulled on her black silk robe and went to answer it. She looked through the peephole to find a very anxious looking Vaughn standing on the other side of the door.  
  
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As the door opened, the first thing Vaughn saw was Sydney in a black silk robe that was slightly open in the front to reveal a red bra. 'Oh my God, I better have a good reason to make her put clothes on,' Vaughn thought as he silently cursed Jack. "Um, Sydney, your father called and he, um, wants us to meet him at, um, I mean, in half and hour." Vaughn could barely speak. Every bone in his body wanted to grab up Sydney and take her into her bedroom, but it might be a bad idea at the moment.  
  
"What?! He wants to meet us NOW?! Why, I mean what in the hell could be so important?!" Sydney was beyond angry. This was not the getaway afternoon she had planned.  
  
"No, he didn't but, he has Will with him," Vaughn replied, now staring at the ground to avoid jumping her. "I'll wait outside in my car," Vaughn said as he turned and walked to his car, his shoulders now slumping.  
  
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"His story was more complete than we had first assumed. He names people, places, objects that he shouldn't know, and he all but reveals that Sydney is a double agent. I don't know how he got this information, but all bets are off. We do it this morning, or we don't do it at all," Jack sighed. He was telling Devlin what he knew needed to be done and Devlin had to reluctantly agree.  
  
"It happens today then," Devlin said.  
  
Vaughn and Sydney walked into Devlin's office as Devlin was finishing his sentence.  
  
"What's wrong?" Sydney asked as she looked at her father.  
  
"You are going on your final mission today," Devlin replied. "Today, we are finishing SD-6."  
  
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OK, I know this would never happen this soon, but obviously, I do not write for ABC and I would like to end this story while I'm still in college. Hopefully, that's something Alias won't do. : - ) Anywho, feedback is always awesome and I would like some additional feedback on my earlier question of how graphic should this fic get? Thanks!! 


	9. trutHs

"Finishing? As in...finishing?!" Sydney couldn't believe what she had just heard. "Why can we do this suddenly? I mean, what kind of new intel did we." "None," Devlin said, not wanting to look Sydney in the eyes. "We are being forced to because of Mr. Tippin's story that was published this morning." "Wait," Sydney said. "I don't understand. You wrote a story that makes it suddenly possible to bring SD-6 down?" "Um, yeah, but it wasn't supposed to get published. I told them not to unless something happened to me, and they thought something did when I didn't come back for a few days." "How could you even know.nevermind." Sydney was in no mood to deal with Will. "If we can take down SD-6 now, because of what Will's story says, why couldn't we have done it before this?" Devlin knew Sydney would ask this; she was too smart to let it slide. "Um, well, we could have taken SD-6 down months ago Agent Bristow. We were using intel that they provided us to track other Alliance organi." "Months ago!? What do you MEAN we could have taken them down months ago? How could you possibly justify putting me through this hell any longer?" Sydney was shrieking and screaming at the top of her lungs. Everyone in the office turned to Devlin's office, wondering what the outburst behind the closed door and blinds was about. "You have no idea what I go through to keep myself going each day! You have no clue what it takes out of you to be a double agen." "Ms. Bristow," Devlin interrupted her in a harsh tone. "You know better than anyone the importance of timing in a situation like this and ." "And you knew too didn't you?" Sydney's glare was directed towards her father. "You knew it could have been finished but that wasn't enough! You had to let Vaughn almost DIE before it was time to take those bastards down! You know what a hell my life is and you." Sydney began to sob and became unable to talk. She couldn't believe her father would betray her like that. Jack was unable to look at Sydney. He had known about the CIA's ability to take down SD-6 for months, but he knew Devlin wasn't going to give the order to do it yet. If he had told Sydney, it would have been pointless. "Sydney, you have to understand that I ." Jack tried to explain to his daughter. "I don't HAVE to understand anything! You people are." "Sydney, let's go for a walk," Vaughn stopped her in mid sentence and placed a hand on her waist to lead her out of the room. She looked at him and he looked at her with only the understanding that could come from his eyes. She agreed and left Devlin's office with Vaughn following her. "I am going to be there," Jack told Devlin. "When the takedown happens." "Jack, I can't let." "I owe it to Sydney to see that Sloane gets taken care of." Devlin knew that there was no arguing with Jack. "Just be careful Jack." ^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^* Jack walked through the doors of Credit Dauphine at 7:45 am. As he took the elevator ride down to sub level 6, he knew what he was going to do before the CIA got there, and he knew Devlin knew too on some level, and hadn't even tried to stop him. As he walked out of the scanning room, Jack looked over to Sloane's office. He was on the phone. Jack looked at his watch. 7:52. The CIA were going to be in this office in exactly 8 minutes. Now was as good a time as any. He walked over to Sloane's office and knocked softly. "Come in." 'That man's voice is like evil itself,' Jack thought as he opened the door. "Do you have a minute?" Jack asked Sloane. "Of course. But first, I trust you've read the paper this morning?" "That's why I came," Jack replied. "I hope there's a good explanation for this Jack, because, if anything that reporter wrote is true." Sloane stopped in mid sentence. Jack had pulled his gun on him and was pointing straight for his head. ^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^* "Sydney, if your father had told you, it just would have been worse for you, you know that right?" Vaughn was trying desperately to get Sydney to calm down. It was nearly 8 am and she hadn't stopped crying for almost an hour. "I know that. I know I'm being stupid and irrational but I just can't believe that I could have been living a normal life by now! Its so..unfair." Sydney was beginning to stop crying. The realization that SD- 6 would be out of her life in a short while was too much. With it gone, she would have no more reasons to hide anything from anyone. She was a sick combination of anger and happiness. All of these emotions came out as an hour-long cry that Vaughn had held her for in his office. There was a knock on his office door and Sydney didn't bother to raise her head from Vaughn's lap; her job was done, she didn't need to worry about protocol now. She glanced up at the clock and saw it was 8:05. She wondered when the takedown was scheduled to happen. She knew she would have no part in the actual siege of Credit Dauphine, the CIA had a special unit for that. "Come in," Vaughn said to the knocker. The door slowly opened to reveal Devlin. He looked disheveled and uncomfortable. "What's.." Sydney began. "It's over," Devlin suddenly said, looking past both Sydney and Vaughn. "SD-6 is over. The extraction team recovered everyone alive, except for two people. Sydney, I'm sorry," Devlin began to talk faster. "Sloane was killed, and, and, ...so was your father." ^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^* "You must take me for a fool Jack. You think I didn't realize what you were going to come in here and do this morning?" Arvin Sloane leaned forward in his chair; he still had his hands on his lap. "Jack, I thought you knew me better," -two shots sounded from underneath Sloane's desk. Jack had hesitated too long. The one time he hesitated was the wrong time. He fell to the floor, already dead from 2 shots to the head. Sloane got up and stood over Jack's body. "Sorry old friend, but your daughter will join you soon enough," Sloane's last words escaped his lips as Dixon shot him once in the head. "Sydney is a good person," Dixon said to Sloane's corpse. "You will never hurt her again." ^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^* 


	10. nOrmality

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"What did you say?" Sydney didn't want to believe what Devlin had just said was  
  
true, but in the pit of her stomach, she knew it was. She knew that her father was  
  
gone, this time for good. "How...what happened...why was he even there??" Sydney began to stutter and her anger began to surface. She couldn't even cry for her father, all of her tears were gone.   
  
"We didn't know, I mean Jack didn't tell us that, well, Sydney, Jack told me he was going to be there when the takedown happened, and you know that there is no arguing with your father. He wanted to make sure that you would be safe after the takedown, he wanted to be sure Sloane didn't get away. Your father was going to kill Sloane, but Sloane knew, so he, um, anyway, Dixon is the one who killed Sloane," Devlin stopped, not knowing what else to say.  
  
"He believed me, he knew I wouldn't betray him..." Sydney murmured, thinking about Dixon.  
  
"Look, Sydney, I'm going to officially take you off-duty as of this morning. However, with your mother possibly looking for you, I suggest you that you relocate and..."  
  
"Are you insane? I am just supposed to leave now that I can have a halfway normal life? No way. If Irina let Will go, I don't think she'll come looking for me," Sydney was in no mood to begin running and hiding again.  
  
Vaughn opened his mouth to protest, but Sydney looked up at him and silenced any protests he may have had. He had no chance to convince her to leave for her own safety.   
  
"And you Agent Vaughn, I am placing on paid leave until you can give me a full summary and final report on SD-6," Devlin smirked at the two on the couch, remembering his younger days. "And if you two don't go off somewhere, get married, and have a long honeymoon during this leave, I will fire you when you get back. Is that understood Agent Vaughn?" Devlin was only halfway kidding - if these two didn't get together, he was going to have a lot more problems than he ever did before.  
  
Sydney and Vaughn looked at each other and smiled, it was going to work out this time.  
  
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Two weeks later...  
  
"So, Sydney, why did you feel the need to make me wear the most horrible dress that I have ever seen?" Francie was laughing at the very pale pink dress she had on. "This reminds me of the 80's! I feel like Cindi Lauper!" Francie picked up a hair brush and began to sing, " Oh, girls just wanna have fun!" Francie was laughing hysterically now and Sydney was near tears. A few minutes later when both of them had collapsed onto the couch, Francie said, " You know you are the most beautiful bride that I have ever seen."  
  
"Stop it! You're going to make me nervous!" Sydney knew she looked stunning in the silk gown, it was why she had chosen it. "I just feel like all this is happening so fast! I mean we only had two weeks!"  
  
"Don't remind me. I am the one who help you plan this you know!"  
  
"And you know I will be forever grateful to you. But after Michael proposed, we just wanted to do it, you know? I mean, why wait months? You know, we thought about eloping, but..."  
  
"You realized I would have killed you?" Francie said in mock anger.  
  
"We wanted it to special. I think this is special, don't you?"  
  
"Very special Syd, very special," Francie said as she hugged Sydney.  
  
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"Congratulations," Will said sincerely as he held out his hand to Michael.  
  
"Thanks. I really appreciate that." Sydney had practically had to order Michael to not attack Will the first time he saw him after Will had nearly attacked her. Since then, Michael's anger had worn away, as had Will's un- platonic feelings for Sydney. He knew she was happy with Michael and her happiness was more important than anything else.  
  
  
  
"You don't want to be late to your own wedding Mike! Let's get a move on!" Weiss called from the front door of Michael's apartment.   
  
Michael took one last look at himself in the hall mirror and the three guys raced down the stairs and into Weiss' car. "I hope its not too windy at the beach..." Weiss said as he pulled away from the curb.  
  
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Michael was standing by the ocean, talking to some of the guests as her limo arrived. It was a small ceremony on the beach, and there were no more than thirty people there total. He watched her as she got out of the limo, her dress flowing behind her in the light breeze, watched as Dixon walked her down the isle, kissed her on the cheek and said, 'I know I'm not your father, but I'm honored I could do this for you.', heard himself say 'I do', felt himself smile as he slipped his ring on her hand, his ring, and then they kissed. It was perfect.   
  
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The limo ride to the airport was like a dream. They looked and stared at each other like neither could believe that it was finally real. As they made their way to their first class seats, Sydney still in her wedding gown, and Michael still in his tuxedo, people stared and grinned, they could see they this couple was meant to be. The flight was too long, and when they finally landed in Figi, it was a mad rush to the hotel. They were suddenly very glad that they had decided to have their luggage shipped to the hotel in advance; no wasted time at baggage claim. They had decided to wait to be together until their wedding night; they had decided it would be more special. At the door of the Honeymoon Suite, he picked her up gently and carried her in the room. He laid her down on the king size bed.....  
  
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::grins evilly:: OK, so, there's one more chapter to this, and NO LOVIN UNTIL THEN!! MUWHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!! [pic] I'll update very soon, though, and no, it won't be nasty, just fluffy!! :-) 


	11. fuTure

"Michael?" Sydney asked as he was about to kiss her.  
  
Michael was on top of her, about to start the most wonderful night of his life. She sounded worried and had a funny look on her face as he gazed into her eyes. "What's wrong Syd?" Michael was afraid he had hurt her. "Who told you you could be on top?" Syd playfully said as she rolled on top of Michael. "Hey, I'm all for whatever you want!" Michael replied chuckling as he stroked Sydney's back. His hand went up to the back of her head and pushed her head down for a deep kiss. Sydney moaned with pleasure as she molded her body into his. His strong embrace made her feel so wanted, so sexy, so overcome. "OK, I don't have the strength to be up here," Sydney said as she let Michael roll her over. His kisses on her neck were making her arms collapse and she couldn't hold herself up any longer. His green eyes looked down at her and she knew that she wouldn't last long. He bent his head down and passionately kissed Sydney again as the clothes began to come off.. ^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^ Michael awoke the next afternoon to find Sydney asleep by his side. They had exhausted themselves at about 6 am and had slept till 2 pm. Michael just gazed at Sydney, barely believing this was finally real. Sydney stirred, suddenly awake as if she cold feel Michael watching her. She opened her eyes to find a beautiful pair of green ones staring back at her.  
  
"Hey you." Sydney murmered, grinning from ear to ear. "Hey you too." Michael leaned over and kissed Sydney lightly. The future was beginning to look bright. ^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^ Yep, that's it. Short and sweet. Thanks SO much for reading!!! 


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